Golden Sun: The Zenith Conflict
by Guardian of Nesh
Summary: The Tuaparang are on the move with the most nefarious scheme Weyard has ever seen. Heroes past and present unite and it will take everything they have to win the Zenith Conflict. Full list of pairings inside. On hold due to writer's block.
1. Prologue

**Golden Sun: The Zenith Conflict**

Disclaimer: I do not own _Golden Sun_ that honor goes to Camelot and Nintendo.

**Prologue: On the Wings of a Pigeon**

Isaac paced around his room just thinking. How long had it been now since that journey that changed his life? How long had it been since the Golden Sun Event and the events that led to it? About three decades now, and the eight Adepts that caused it all, dubbed the Warriors of Vale by the world, had scatted to the four winds. Isaac had so little contact with any of them anymore. Garet was next door, and he spoke with Piers on occasion but that was it.

Felix and Sheba had vanished completely; Ivan had become a recluse, using his daughter Karis as a go-between for Isaac and himself. Mia was still in Imil taking care of the people there and guarding the Mercury Lighthouse, just in case. Then there was Jenna… oh, Jenna, he couldn't bear to think of that… At least he had Matthew; he didn't know what he'd do without his son.

The bottom line was that Isaac, leader of the Warriors of Vale, was lonely. One could only spend so much time watching for Psynergy Vortexes with only Garet and the kids as company before developing a bit of cabin fever. He was at a loss as to what to do about it however, he was the sentinel of Mt. Aleph, and he had to stay. If there were answers about the Mourning Moon, they would be here at the birthplace of alchemy.

The call of a bird interrupted his thoughts. It was the carrier pigeon Isaac used to communicate with Kraden; the old scholar had a few of his own but Isaac kept one around in case he needed to contact someone in the outside world, he couldn't sit around and wait for Kraden to send him a message if something came up. The Venus Adept pondered sending a message to one of his old friends, someone he could just talk to. His ex-wife, Jenna was out of the question; he knew how that exchange would go, they'd had it many times before. Isaac wanted to escape the research in some small way. That only left one option: Mia. Isaac sat down at his desk at began to compose a letter to his old friend.

_Dear Mia,_

_How long has it been since we've seen or spoken to each other? Years? That's too long. I'm writing this because I wanted to see how you're doing. Is everything alright in Imil, no trouble? What about your kids, what were their names? Rief and Nowell, I bet they've become strong Adepts, just like their mother._

_There's nothing to report here at the Observation Cabin. That's one of the reasons I'm writing you Mia, I just wanted to talk outside of all this research. Write back if you can._

_-Isaac._

"Take this to Mia in Imil." Isaac said as he took time to pet the pigeon and tie the parchment to its leg. The bird responded with a trill and flew out the window. Isaac watched the bird until he could no longer make it out on the horizon.

* * *

><p>Mia looked up as a tapping sound woke her. At first she thought she'd imagined it but then it happened again. She looked around and found a pigeon outside her window. Considering how far north Imil was this was an odd thing indeed, birds usually avoided the tundra. The Mercury Adept quickly opened the window and let the poor creature in.<p>

The pigeon was understandably not in a good state so the first thing Mia did was cast the Ply Psynergy on it and restore the poor bird's health. It was then that Mia noticed the parchment attached to its leg. The Mercury Adept quickly realized that this bird carried a message for her so she took the paper and began to read.

"Isaac what were you thinking risking this carrier pigeon just to talk to me?" she muttered as she finished. Although it was rather sweet in a way that out of all their friends Isaac wanted to talk to her. She sighed and began to compose a reply.

_ Dear Isaac,_

_It has been a long time hasn't it? Imil is fine; Megan and Justin have become great healers, although it is a bit strange feeling that they now look older than me. The lighthouse is stable. I haven't been doing very well personally; my husband died about five years back. I'm still not completely over it, it's like there's a void and I haven't found anything or anyone who can fill it. How about you and Jenna? I bet you two are still going strong. You've got a son, Matthew right, what's he like? He's around Rief and Nowell's age isn't he?_

_Speaking of my kids, I haven't seen or heard from them since about the time their dad died, they went off with Kraden to study alchemy. Have you heard from any of our other friends? I'm glad you wrote me._

_-Mia._

Mia sent her letter to the pigeon's leg and sent it off back to Isaac. It was good hearing from him again. She hoped he would write her again, she felt like she'd been out of the loop here in Imil.

* * *

><p>It had been about a week and Isaac was still waiting for Mia's reply. Maybe she'd decided not to write back, if so, the least she could do was send back the carrier pigeon. Of course she was probably busy in Imil… It was just then that he heard a tapping at the window. The carrier pigeon had returned from Imil. Isaac let it in and began to read the letter that was attached to its leg. It was strange; he'd never seen Mia's handwriting. Mia had seen his, he'd always signed for the rooms in the various inns they'd stayed in but Mia had never had an occasion to write on their fateful journey.<p>

He paused when he read the part about Mia's husband dying; he'd never met the man but he had lost people, if only temporarily in the Mt. Aleph eruption thirty-three years ago so he knew what that pain felt like. With the Golden Sun slowing their aging processes, it was likely the Warriors of Vale would have to bury their own children; for not the first time Isaac cursed his fate. Finally he began to write his letter to Mia.

_ Dear Mia,_

_I'm sorry to hear about your husband. If it's not too painful may I ask how it happened? I know I never met him but I feel for you as my friend, I know how it feels to lose someone; the pain never does quite go away. As for Jenna and I, we split shortly after Matthew was born; I wanted him to be a warrior. We Warriors of Vale won't be around forever, what if something happened to us and the world needed new heroes? Garet stuck up for me but Jenna just couldn't bear to stay anymore. She's in Kalay, same as Ivan; I don't see him anymore either, he's become a bit of a recluse. His daughter Karis is a go-between for him and Garet and me. We're training her as well as Matthew and Garet's son Tyrell to be the next generation of Warriors of Vale._

_Matthew is a lot like me, same stoic personality and even the same looks, except for the eyes, he has Jenna's eyes. He's growing into a strong Venus Adept, he's even got a leg up on me; he can naturally use the Growth Psynergy, probably because his mother was a Mars Adept. Tyrell is a lot like Garet was at that age: loud and impulsive but loyal. Garet himself has calmed down and become much more mature though. Karis is as sharp as Ivan ever was but she's much more outgoing. Once their training is complete I'll feel perfectly safe leaving the protection of Weyard in the hands of these kids. I can ask Kraden about Rief and Nowell the next time I hear from him if you'd like._

_-Isaac_

Once again Isaac tied the letter to the pigeon's leg and sent it off to Imil. He would wait with baited breath for her response; these letters were about all he had to look forward to these days.

* * *

><p>Mia read over Isaac's newest letter. She had no idea he and Jenna had split. Part of the reason he ran all over Weyard thirty years ago was to rescue her. That ungrateful cow! The Mercury Adept gasped at her own thoughts; she honestly didn't know where that came from.<p>

Exchanging these letters with Isaac had Mia thinking about their quest a lot, they had just been kids in their late teens then. Danger and hormones ran high but Isaac never wavered even once in his resolve to rescue her, he merely led on. Mia couldn't help but admire that about him, how he always kept his sights on rescuing Jenna and saving the world; every woman wanted a man to love her that much. Maybe if Isaac hadn't been so fixated on Jenna, she might've… no, what's done is done.

Still Mia's opinion of Jenna had just been lowered considerably; she just couldn't believe that she would leave Isaac like that. Mia understood why Isaac felt the need to make sure the world was safe, it was partially his fault the world was in this mess, and he felt he needed to take responsibility for it. Besides it had been the duty of the citizens of Vale to guard the Sol Sanctum and the Elemental Stars, a sacred vigil Isaac himself had defied by removing the Elemental Stars from their resting place. It was the same reason she stayed in Imil, not because the people needed her, no a healer was redundant now with the Water of Hermes flowing. She had failed in her duty to guard Mercury Lighthouse once before, whether or not that turned out to be a good thing was still up for debate, but she most certainly would not fail again.

Of course Jenna had played a role in all of this as well, in a way having traveled with Saturos and Menardi she had aided in the lighting of all four lighthouses whereas Isaac and Mia had only deliberately lit two of the four and Jenna had been part of the group that retrieved the Elemental Stars in the first place. The fact that the Mars Adept wasn't willing to take responsibility for her role in all of this like she, Isaac, and Garet were… the Mercury Adept failed to find words to describe her distaste. The quest had taken a great toll on everyone involved, but Isaac most of all. The weight of the world had been on his shoulders then, he was the leader, and as much as he tried to exude confidence Mia knew better than anyone that Isaac was human; for she was the one he confided in. To him saving Jenna had never been a question, he always knew he would save his girl but the world that was another matter, one that weighed heavily on Isaac's soul Jenna had spit all over all the sacrifices he had made! Mia wanted to wring the woman's neck right now. Calming down some Mia sat down to write her reply to Isaac.

_ Dear Isaac,_

_First of all, allow me to say I applaud _what_ you are doing with the children. Even with our aging slowed by the Golden Sun, we won't be around to protect the world forever and someone will need to pick up the slack if worse comes to worse. Keep up the good work; you never know when something might happen, so keep an eye out._

_I also wanted to say that I'm sorry to hear about Jenna. You ran all over Weyard for her, for her to just leave you like that… She was as much a part of that quest as any other Warrior of Vale, keeping an eye on the changes brought to the world by the release of Alchemy is just as much her job as it is ours. Jenna is a fool for leaving you, but I digress._

_As for my husband, he died in a monster attack about five years ago. I should have gone to fight them myself but he was just too stubborn to let me. He knew I was a member of the Mercury clan, that it was my job to guard the lighthouse and he refused to let me risk that duty over some monsters. Shortly after that Rief and Nowell became Kraden's apprentices and I've been alone since then. It's hard Isaac, some days I wonder how I've managed to go on. I think I only stay here because he wanted me to fulfill my duty and maybe a little bit because of my part in the Golden Sun Event. Oh Isaac, please ask about my children the next time you speak to Kraden, I haven't heard from them in so long, I would truly appreciate it._

_-Mia_

Tear fell freely as Mia wrote the last part of her letter to her old friend. The ink was splotched and barely legible in some spots, more so the further down the letter one read but she couldn't write that again, the memories were too painful. She just had to hope Isaac wouldn't mind. As was almost second nature to her now, she tied the letter to the pigeon and sent it off back to its owner.

* * *

><p>Isaac barely resisted to crumple the Mia's most recent letter as he read it. The emotion she displayed in writing this was palpable, complete with tear stains near the bottom. It was painful, imagining Mia so… broken. She had always been the heart of the group, the one who always kept everyone else going when times were rough. In all honesty he wasn't sure if he could have made it through the quest without Mia.<p>

While everyone had looked to him for leadership, he had looked to her for support. Garet had too immature then and Ivan had always been quiet. Whenever homesickness or doubt had crept into his mind even in the slightest, he'd always gone to Mia. Isaac couldn't count the nights on their quest that the two of them had private talks by the campfire, mostly about missing his mother, or worrying about Jenna, or whether he could actually complete the task the Wise One had charged him with. Isaac was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to see Garet come up behind him.

"Who's the letter from, Kraden," The Mars Adept asked, causing Isaac to jump in surprise and whirl around with the grace of the experienced warrior he was, "Something wrong Isaac, I haven't been able to sneak up on you in years. Not with your fancy Venus Adept powers that allow you to sense vibrations in the Earth."

"I'm fine, just thinking," Isaac sighed, "The letter isn't from Kraden, Mia and I have been writing each other for a couple months now, just catching up."

"Mia, how's she doing? I haven't talked to her in forever." Garet mused.

"She's doing as well as she can. Her husband died in a monster attack a few years back and with her kids traveling with Kraden she's lonely." Isaac said.

"Oh, man, that's rough; I mean at least I know my wife is safe in Patcher's little village." Garet replied.

"There are worse things…" the Venus Adept muttered, "I think I may have made a mistake after our quest, perusing Jenna. I thought she was what I wanted, part of me wanted to go back to that old life we had when this place was Vale. Back then Jenna and I seemed like a forgone conclusion but when the Psynergy Vortexes started cropping up, I knew it wasn't meant to be. It's because of me the Mourning Moon happened and I need to find a way to stop it from happening again Garet and if I can't I need to train Matthew so he can. Jenna just didn't understand that and I lost her because of it."

"You don't have to tell me Isaac, I feel the same way, that's why I'm training Tyrell, that's why I stuck with you. I didn't like Jenna's choice either but can you really call marrying her a mistake?" his friend inquired.

"I honestly don't know Garet. I love my son more than anything, I do but writing to Mia is drudging up old memories. We were close Mia and I, if I hadn't had been so focused on Jenna maybe she and I could've gotten together. I think I'm beginning to regret not seeing that before now." Isaac admitted.

"You're saying you're in love with Mia?' Garet asked.

"I think so." he said. His fire wielding friend guffawed.

"Then tell her," Garet replied simply, "Have you sent the letter to Kraden about the kids yet?"

"Yes, he's going to meet them at Carver's Camp and help them get the Mountain Roc feather." Isaac replied.

"That's good, the kids could use someone more experienced on this quest," Then Garet began to sport a lecherous grin, "So, you fell for Mia, looks like I owe Ivan a few coins; I thought for sure I'd won the bet when you married Jenna…" he muttered glumly.

"You bet on my love life?!" Isaac questioned sharply.

"Tell Mia I said hi." Garet said with a grin as he walked out, his pace was slightly quicker than normal and, it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Now alone Isaac began to work on a reply to Mia's letter.

_Dear Mia,_

_Garet says hi. Now that that's out of the way we can get on to what really matters. First of all I'm cannot express my condolences for your husband's death enough. From the sound of things he was a great man, who I deeply regret never having the pleasure of meeting. It pains me to know you're hurting like this Mia. I wish there was something I could do to help, after all, you and I both know I never would've gotten through our quest without our late night campfire talks. So as far as I'm concerned I owe you Mia._

_As for Jenna, well I can't really be mad at her, sure I'm not happy that she left me but I can understand why. She was kidnapped and drug across Weyard on that quest, she thought she lost her parents. Twice. I think she just wanted to put it all behind her. We all did to some degree; it was just that some of us couldn't. Now look, Jenna has nothing left. We split; I kept Matthew and am training him to be a warrior. Her parents are dead and Felix is off who knows where with Sheba trying to uncover her past, knowing those two they've likely gotten married and had a kid or two of their own like the rest of us._

_Actually on second thought that might not be entirely accurate. Karis reminds me a lot of Jenna. I'm sure she and Ivan hooked up after we split and they're just hiding it from us. That might be another reason Ivan refuses to see us in person other than avoiding human contact as much as possible, outside of his family, because of Mind Read. He probably feels guilty for getting together with Jenna._

_I can't blame him for dong it though Jenna was always a great woman and like I said we split. If they're happy, who am I to object; they both wanted to escape something from their past and found refuge in one another. I'm just glad she let Ivan build a Soarwing for us._

_That reminds me Tyrell broke our Soarwing so we're sending the kids out to get a new Mountain Roc feather. I asked Kraden to be a guide of sorts for them. I asked about Nowell and Rief, they're doing well and have progressed far in their studies._

_Mia, the next part of this letter isn't easy for me to say but it needs to be said. Writing to you over these past couple months has gotten me thinking a lot about the past, especially the Golden Sun quest and its aftermath. In looking back I now realize I made one critical mistake. That mistake was Jenna. I thought I loved her and I thought she loved me but it was all just a childhood crush. We'd been friends since we were babies and everyone just kind of _expected _us to get together. I think I just gave into the pressure._

_Don't get me wrong, I do care about her, but in a more platonic way. Thirty years ago my infatuation with Jenna blinded me from what I really wanted, from _who _I really wanted. In short, you Mia._

_You were always there for me; you were that one person I could talk to no matter what. You understood me better than anyone; you understood what it meant to need to atone for failing a sacred duty. Not to mention you fought by my side, forging the strong bonds only combat can. I love you Mia, I admire and respect you. I always have ever since the first time I saw you healing that old man in Imil. I'm just angry at myself for taking this long to realize the depth of my feelings._

_Look I know it can never be. Not with you in Imil and me where Vale used to be. I don't even know if you feel the same way about me, any hope I have that you might could just be me deluding myself. I probably missed my chance long ago, if I ever had one to begin with. However it had to be said so I'll reiterate: I'm in love with you Mia. You don't have to respond to this letter, if you don' want to speak to me again just send the pigeon back empty handed, I'll understand._

_-Isaac_

Having borne out his soul on paper Isaac tied the letter to the leg of the carrier pigeon. He dreaded the answer or lack thereof that was anticipated but Garet was right; telling Mia about his feelings was the right thing to do. Whether he lost her because of it or not.

* * *

><p>Mia blushed madly as he read Isaac's latest letter. To say she was surprised was an understatement. He loved her. Isaac <em>loved<em> her. Mia wasn't quite sure how to react. Sure she'd had a bit of a crush on him thirty years ago but did she feel the same way now? She'd married and had two children in that time after all. She' lost her husband in that time and her children had left the nest…

None of that answered her question however. This correspondence had stirred up old feelings; this much was true and unless her memory was failing her Mia was inclined to believe they were just as strong as they'd ever been. So the was yes, the feelings were still there. She began to write her reply.

_Dear Isaac,_

_Hi Garet. Thank you for asking Kraden about my kids, it eases my mind to know they are doing well._

_ Okay so now on to more sensitive matters. Isaac I've been doing a lot of thinking myself as we wrote each other. I'm not sure how to say this so I'll just come out and say it. I love you too, in the same way I loved my husband. You know I had a crush on you during our quest but like you said, you only had eyes for Jenna then. I guess that crush never really went away; I mean yes I married and had kids and I loved my husband, but deep down I always regretted not professing to you on some level._

_It's too late now though, we're too far apart for anything to come of it now. Besides you're far better than I deserve. You were able to forgive what Jenna did to you when I can't. Just know this, I love you Isaac, that's all I really have to say._

_-Mia_

A myriad of emotions swelled up within Mia as she tied her letter to the leg of the carrier pigeon. She wondered how Isaac would react to this news. The Mercury Adept chuckled slightly at her own question. She knew exactly how he would react. He would tell her she was perfectly deserving of her and that she wouldn't put herself down. One thing was for sure, she was looking forward to his next letter.

* * *

><p>Isaac couldn't help but smile as he read Mia's letter. He had to read it over a couple of times to make sure he didn't imagining it.<p>

"A letter from Mia," Garet asked, no doubt noticing his happy expression, "Did you take my advice and tell her how you felt.

"Yes I did, and as it turns out she loves me too." Isaac replied with a nod. Garet clasped him on the shoulder and gave him a slight shake.

"So that's why you're grinning like a kid in a candy store. Congratulations Isaac, what's your next move then?" he asked.

"I'll keep writing her I guess." The Venus Adept shrugged. Garet rolled his eyes.

"Isaac, I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. You should seize the moment, go to Imil, and sweep Mia off her feet!" he declared

"You know I can't do that Garet. What if Psynergy Vortexes crop up while we're gone? What if the kids come back with the Mountain Roc feather?"

"Sheesh Isaac, you act like the Mourning Moon is going to pop up on our doorstep. We can leave a note for the kids, just in case. We're going to Imil and you're going to marry Mia even if I have to drag you there. You deserve a little happiness. We can bring Mia back with us; with the Water of Hermes flowing at Mercury Lighthouse Imil doesn't need her." Isaac sighed, once Garet got an idea in his head here was no talking him out of it.

"Fine Garet, I learned long ago there's no use in arguing with a Fire Adept. I'd just like my best man to stay sober this time."

"You're no fun at all Isaac." Garet muttered as his friend wrote a new letter to Mia.

_Dear Mia,_

_Don't put yourself down like that, I love you and won't stand for it. Garet and I will be on our way to Imil by the time you receive this letter. I hope you're ready for a second wedding._

_-Isaac_

Isaac and Garet left a note for the kids on the door just in case they arrived with the Mountain Roc feather while they were out and set off for Imil.

* * *

><p>Mia was rushing around making preparations for Isaac and Garet's arrival. She couldn't believe Isaac was coming all the way up to Imil just for her. This would be the second marriage for both of them; hopefully this one would end better than both their first marriages… The door swung pen and Mia turned to see who entered. What she saw made her freeze in shock and terror; this was one person she would recognize even if they were wearing a mask.<p>

"Alex," she breathed, "but you're supposed to be…"

"Dead? Yes I'll admit I nearly did meet my end at hands at the hands of the Wise One thirty years ago but it will take more than that to get rid of me. I saw your son Rief at the Apollo Lens; he's grown into a powerful Adept."

"What are you doing here Alex?" Mia demanded.

"Well at first I merely came to see my cousin, it's been so long after all. However there's a rumor going around Imil that Isaac is coming here to marry you. I'm a little hurt that I wasn't invited to either of your weddings Mia but I think I'll stick around for this one all the same. You see I've been so looking forward to seeing Isaac again but I knew I couldn't get near Mt. Aleph without arousing the Wise One. I'm so glad you found a way to coax Isaac out of his little hut." Alex explained. Mia gasped; Isaac would be walking straight into a trap.


	2. Chapter 1

**Golden Sun: The Zenith Conflict**

**Chapter 1: Forces on the Move**

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun that honor goes to Nintendo and Camelot.

"Do you think Imil is alright, whatever that eclipse was it wasn't natural and we have no way of telling how far its effects reached. The Earth itself seemed to scream in protest and those monsters…" Isaac mused.

"I understand that you're worried about Mia Isaac but she fought alongside us for most of the Golden Sun quest thirty years ago, she can take care of herself. Even if she couldn't those monsters didn't seem to like light all that much and Mercury Lighthouse is just a stone's throw away from Imil, the lighthouse's beacon will have kept the town, and Mia safe," It was a bad sign when Garet was the reasonable one but he couldn't really blame Isaac though, not with the fate of the love of his life uncertain, "I'm more worried about the kids, it was _your _bright idea to send them out to get the Mountain Roc feather and then that eclipse happens. Hell, they probably helped _cause _it."

"The kids are fine," Isaac waved a hand dismissively, "We trained them, and they can handle themselves. Even if they did somehow cause the eclipse, it's over now, they fixed it. We helped release alchemy on the world Garet, the very thing we were trying to prevent and ended up sailing all around the Eastern Sea looking for Lemuria for Babi on our journey. I don't think we can really blame the kids for anything here."

"I suppose you're right, as always Isaac." Garet relented. His friend chuckled.

"I'm not always right, I'm just right a lot more often than you is all. I still don't feel good about leaving the cabin, not with this… feeling I have about the Wise One being in danger but here I am, my best friend dragging me off on a month long trek to Imil." he said. His Mars Adept companion snorted at that.

"Will you quit worrying about that giant hunk of floating rock? The Wise One is far more powerful than either of us; if something strong enough to put him in danger came along the two of us couldn't stop it if we tried Isaac."

"I suppose you're right Garet."

"Good now let's focus on getting you your happily ever after. If you look straight ahead, you will see the town of Imil. With a population of about twenty-five people Imil boasts easy access to Mercury Lighthouse and the Fountain of Hermes. Notable residents: Mia of the Mercury Clan, the people of Imil view her as an angel and between you and me, she's hot enough to boil her own water element." Garet said with a wink as they crested a snowcapped hill.

"You're a married man," Isaac said, slapping his friend on the arm, "and besides, we haven't seen Mia in about three decades, we have no clue as to what she looks like now."

"Married men can't have fantasies," Garet asked sheepishly, "and do you really think Mia turned into some kind of ugly old hag in the last thirty years? Her slowed aging notwithstanding."

"The answer to both of those questions is no and for the record Garet married men especially can't have fantasies about their best friend's future wife. Unless they want to die that is."

"Aw come on Isaac, not even a little one," Garet pouted. Isaac gave him a death glare and reached for his sword, "We'd both die Isaac, you and I both know we're evenly matched." Isaac's grip on the hilt relaxed, Garet had called his bluff.

"You're right; I'll just tell your wife." Isaac smirked as he watched Garet pale.

"You wouldn't dare…" the fire user challenged.

"Oh wouldn't I, old friend?" the Venus Adept replied smoothly.

"Alright, you win, no Mia fantasies for me, just don't tell my wife about what I said. Please have mercy Isaac; you've seen how she can get…" Garet pleaded.

"Yes Garet, I have. That's why I made the threat," Isaac chuckled patting his childhood friend on the back, "Now let's go see Imil's angel, shall we?"

"That's the spirit! Now where do you think she is?" Garet asked as they entered the town.

"Probably in the sanctum, she is the town healer after all." The pair strode calmly toward Imil's sanctum, ignoring the gawking crowd that was gathering. They were used to it; they were part of the Warriors of Vale, the most famous, or infamous depending on your prospective, group in all of Weyard.

"The town hasn't changed much in thirty years." Garet noted nonchalantly,

"It feels right somehow. It brings back memories doesn't it?" Isaac asked

"Yeah, memories of Saturos and Menardi and I would rather forget those two." The fire adept said.

"Need I remind you that _we _were the bad guys then?" the earth user countered.

"No, but I still don't like those two, they still were less than friendly, good intentions or not." Garet reminded.

"True enough." Isaac conceded as he threw the doors to the sanctum open and walked in.

"Welcome, weary wanderers. What aid do you seek?" Isaac would recognize that voice anywhere. Mia. Her head was down so all he could see was her blue hair and her voice told him that she was just going through the motions.

"Well, my friend and I are looking for this Mercury Adept that people say is supposed to live around here. You see, I've kind of got a thing for her." Isaac said with a smirk. Mia's head jerked up immediately.

"You've got to get out of here now!" she said in a panicked voice.

"Well, this is some reception isn't it Isaac, we come all the way to Imil just to see her and she's already showing us out the door and here I thought we were friends." Garet said in a huff.

"It's not that I'm not glad to see you Garet," she protested, "but you can't stay here, it's too dangerous!"

"Calm down Mia, why is it dangerous for us to stay in Imil?" Isaac asked trying to get answers from his old friend.

"I think she's referring to me." A voice called. Suddenly a blue haired man appeared out of nowhere.

"Alex," Garet hissed, "I thought the Wise One took care of you thirty years ago on top of Mount Aleph." Alex chuckled at that.

"Mia said almost exactly the same thing but obviously I am not dead and I have no business with you Garet. I must speak to Isaac. You see, he has something that belongs to me."

"What do you mean, we never even really interacted. I never took anything of yours." Isaac said, clearly confused.

"Ah, so the floating rock never told you did he? That doesn't surprise me at all. I'm sure you remember the day of the Golden Sun event thirty years ago and how I was defeated by the Wise One." Alex began.

"Yes, we remember Alex and I as a fellow member of the Mercury clan found it a fitting end for your treachery. Using people for your own selfish gain. Even I your own cousin was but a tool in your hands. If only your demise had stuck." Mia said bitterly.

"Please Mia; don't interrupt me when I'm telling a story. You are far ruder than I remember," he chided gently, "Now as I was saying, before the Wise One dealt me a crushing defeat he told me a secret. I had sought the release of alchemy upon the world for many years so that I could have the power of the Golden Sun. However I had been duped by the Wise One on the very first day of the journey of the Warriors of Vale as you are now called. On that day the Wise One helped you escape the Sol Sanctum Isaac and Garet and imbued Isaac with a portion of the Mars star's power. As such when the Golden Sun was formed it was incomplete, part of its power resting with you, power that should have been mine. Now I must request that you give it to me."

"And why would Isaac do that, you tried to destroy Vale!" Garet countered as he drew his sword in a relapse of the impulsiveness of his younger years. Alex raised a hand and a jet of water blasted the fire user into the wall. Garet groaned and began to rub the lump that was now forming on his head.

"Hush now Garet, the adults are talking. So, what say you Isaac?"

"You just attacked my best friend and expect me to cooperate? You did try to destroy my home. Those aren't exactly acts that inspire me to cooperate." Isaac said.

"You were willing to betray the sacred vigil of the Mercury clan and light the lighthouse when you were raised to do the opposite. Give us one good reason to trust you Alex." Mia added.

"Tsk, tsk. My betrayal of the so-called sacred vigil of the Mercury clan helped save the world and yet you still hold it against me. Isaac, Mia, I have good reasons for every action I take. True, my reasons may not always be readily apparent but I am not the villain you think I am. I could easily kill you and take what I want but I have not. Your skill as a warrior will be useful in the struggle to come and by the end I'm confident you will give me what I desire quite willingly." Alex declared.

"What struggle? What's coming Alex?" Isaac demanded. The male water adept chuckled.

"You'll know soon enough, your children should be able to set you on the right path." With these final words Alex teleported away. Isaac and Mia immediately rushed over to Garet to make sure he was alright. He didn't seem too roughed up but Mia cast the Ply Psynergy on him just in case.

"Thanks Mia," he said, "So what's our next move?"

"As much as I hate to say it whatever Alex is planning should be our top priority," Isaac said sparing a glance at Mia. She hadn't changed too much though her form had matured and filled out she was still greatly recognizable from the old days, "We may have to cancel the wedding for now."

"I understand, you're right of course, whatever Alex was talking about is more important, the world is more important." Mia said with a nod. Isaac couldn't hold in his emotions anymore, Jenna never would've been that understanding, at least not after the Golden Sun event. Not thinking about it he gave Mia a quick kiss, their first kiss as a couple. Isaac and Mia just stared into each other's eyes for a tender moment as they realized what had just happened and shared a smile.

"Watching you two make doe eyes at each other like a couple of teenagers is going to take some getting used to." Garet interjected, completely ruining the mood.

"We have to make up for lost time." Isaac replied shrugging.

"So where do we go from here Isaac, you always were the leader." said Mia.

"Alex wanted us to talk to the kids; they should be back at the Lookout Cabin by now, so I guess that's where we're going." The Venus adept replied.

"Before you came Alex mentioned something about our kids knowing things about the Eclipse, I'll bet that thing was part of his plan." Mia added. Isaac nodded.

"That gives us one more reason to go see the kids."

"The Lookout cabin is a month's walk away; the kids will think we're dead by the time we get back." Garet reasoned.

"Not necessarily, I have something that can help us get there faster." Isaac said pulling out a blue jewel in the shape of a cube.

"You had the Teleport Lapis the entire time? When did you get it? No, that's not important, why did we trek across Angara for a month, most of it in that eclipse when we could've just teleported here?" Garet howled.

"Felix gave it to me before he left; he said he didn't need it anymore. As for why we didn't use it to get to Imil faster, well, I wanted to give Mia time to prepare for the wedding and it's not like those monsters were any threat to us Garet." He answered calmly. Mia smacked the back of Isaac's head and scowled at him.

"I was worried sick about you too when the Eclipse came, yes I know you're capable warriors but still that was stupid and dangerous. Next time, please, play it safe Isaac."

"Sorry Mia, I guess I forgot what it's like to have a woman worry about you." Isaac apologized sheepishly.

"Well, you'll just have to get used to it again." Mia told him, giving him a soft smile.

"Wow, I can see who will be wearing the pants in this relationship." Garet guffawed.

"Times like this I _really_ miss Ivan," Isaac muttered, "He never made me the butt of his jokes." Mia giggled some at that while Garet got a bit of a sour face.

"Shouldn't we be going now?" the female of the group asked.

"Wait, Mia, you want to come with us? What about the people of Imil, won't they worry if you just disappear?" Isaac asked his more or less fiancée.

"Of course I do, this is just as much my problem as it is yours, especially if Alex is involved. I get the feeling this is going to turn into another big quest and I want to be there with you. It'll be like the old days again; maybe we could even get Ivan to join us. Besides, we need to make up for three decades of lost time," she replied, "There's nothing holding me in Imil anymore with the Water of Hermes flowing outside the lighthouse. Is there some reason you don't want me to come?"

"It's not that I don't want you to come with us Mia; it's just we're going to run into the kids and they're going to want to know why we were in Imil and I'm not sure how Matthew will take our relationship."

"Yeah I didn't think of that when I dragged you here Isaac." the Mars adept of the group admitted.

"It's fine, there's nothing we can do about it now," he replied, "Now, let's go." Isaac cast the Teleport Psynergy and the three adepts vanished from the town of Imil.

* * *

><p>Felix sighed. Of all the places he thought he'd end up, Laliverio hadn't been on the list but here he was. This was where he and Sheba had finally settled down after years of searching for clues to her origin. Even after three decades and marrying Sheba the people of Laliverio treated him coldly. Felix knew why as well, he had been part of the group that kidnapped Sheba all those years ago and the people of the town who remembered it hated him for it and so did their children by example. Felix stepped into his house as quietly as possible, just in case his wife was sleeping. However Sheba was there to greet him as he came in.<p>

"Welcome back Felix, how was the trip to Tolbi?" she greeted with a smile.

"Boring, that place hasn't changed one bit under Iodem's rule, they're even holding another Colosso. Iodem wanted me to train the Adepts that have been popping up in Tolbi; his first choice was Isaac of course, seeing as he is a former Colosso victor but since he won't leave his cabin near Mount Aleph, I was the next best thing." Felix explained.

"What did you tell him?' his wife inquired.

"I told him no of course, as much as I dislike living in Laliverio, this is home to you and I wouldn't dream of dragging you away from that, especially to go to Tolbi of all places where you were held captive." he replied.

"I was held captive by Saturos and Menardi for part of the time I was with you." Sheba quipped.

"Touché love but that wasn't my idea. I jumped off a lighthouse to make sure you were safe." Felix reminded her.

"I remember," Sheba said, "So how's Jaros?" Now they were getting to the real subject of the conversation: their son. He'd let home ten years ago, when he was seventeen, to compete in Colosso, Jaros had always wanted to be a warrior like his parents and winning Colosso in Tolbi was his only chance for that in this region. As a child of two of the Warriors of Vale, he had been a heavy favorite that year; unfortunately he'd won much to his parents' displeasure and had become a member of Tolbi's military force.

"Our son is fine; he's Iodem's second in command now. It was Jaros the recommended me for training the Adepts of course. Now that I refused, he'll probably get the job. More power to him I say. He's certainly good enough."

"Yes but it sounds like Iodem didn't want him to do the job in the first place; Jaros won't take kindly to being the third choice but I do feel safer knowing he's protecting us." The Jupiter Adept said.

"Yes, he's a good man and a strong Adept; hope for Tolbi still exists with him." Felix said proudly, although there was a bit of sourness in his voice. He didn't like being reminded that Laliverio and Suhalla were part of Tolbi now.

"It's not so bad we're on the outskirts of the country, an entire desert separates us from the rest of the Tolbi Empire," Sheba said as if reading his mind. Felix knew she hadn't, he would've seen the Psynergy at work but all the same, "We pretty much get to govern ourselves but benefit from the protection of the army." Their conversation was cut short by a terrified shriek from outside. Felix and Sheba rushed out the door to see what the commotion was and they didn't like what they found. A giant airship was now hovering over Laliverio. At least fifty men, solders judging by the looked of them, dropped down from the ship and they clearly weren't from Tolbi. The message was clear: Laliverio was being invaded.

"Ready honey?" Felix whispered to Sheba.

"Of course." She said with a nod. Felix didn't need any more of a cue than that; he immediately cast the Grand Gaia Psynergy and Sheba followed up with Spark Plasma.

"Adepts!" one of the solders called as a good chunk of the invasion force fell to the combination attack. The Warriors of Vale rushed in to closer combat to finish the remaining enemies. At first they started with physical attacks but it soon became apparent that whoever these people were, they were tougher than the average warrior, they had grenades that drained Psynergy and throwing knives that inflicted stun as well. It appeared they would need to kick it up a notch.

"Echo!" Felix called. The Venus djinni appeared next to him.

"Felix? You haven't called me in years, what do you need?" the creature asked.

"Echo, look around. What do you _think_ I need?" Felix said flatly.

"Oh," he deadpanned, "Right, sorry, let's do it." Felix then used the power of the djinni to fell another soldier. He watched on as Sheba unleashed a djinni of her own, Blitz.

"Nice shot honey." he called over to her.

"Thanks sweetie, this just like old times isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Felix unleashed Mold causing the enemy to hit themselves, "Hey, there's no need to beat yourself, that's my job."

"Quit messing around Felix!" Sheba chided as she unleashed Whorl.

"Let's finish this." Felix declared as he summoned Ramses. Sheba nodded and summoned Atalanta.

"And that takes care of that," Sheba said panting some, "We may be getting too old for this; at least there aren't any more…" as if on cue another fifty enemy soldiers appeared.

"You just _had_ to jinx it didn't you…" Felix deadpanned, the previous wave had worn them down, this didn't look good…

* * *

><p>Piers walked silently across the landscape, apprehension filling his thoughts. Why were Tuaparang forces here? What did they want in northern Gondowan?<p>

"So, where are we going exactly," Nowell asked,"I know we're tracking the Tuaparang but where are they?"

"If I'm right the Tuaparang are invading Laliverio right now, what they want with the town I'm not sure. This could get dangerous Nowell, maybe you should go back to the boat." the Lemurian suggested.

"If it's dangerous I'm not about to let you go in alone. I'm an adept too, you know, my mother didn't send me off with Kraden without some training." The daughter of Mia replied. Piers sighed.

"I know that but you're still inexperienced Nowell, if this becomes a combat situation you may not be able to handle yourself." he told her.

"I'm sure you can protect me." she replied sweetly. The Lemurian ad to roll his eyes, he hadn't been born yesterday. It was quite obvious that Nowell was infatuated with him. She wasn't a bad girl but he just didn't have time for such things at the moment, while being in the middle of an important mission like tracking the Tuaparang. Not to mention he was centuries older than she was. The pair approached the town of Laliverio only to be greeted by the sounds of battle. From the looks of things the Tuaparang had already invaded the town and were only being held off by the efforts of two warriors, a man and a woman.

"I don't believe it but I think that's Felix and Sheba!" Piers said. The pair like all the other Warriors of Vale had only aged about a decade so they were still greatly recognizable.

"I thought they disappeared years ago," Nowell said, it doesn't look like they're doing too well." Piers nodded and charged forward casting the Glacier Psynergy as he did so. Nowell followed reluctantly casting Douse.

"Piers is that you?" Felix said turning to his old friend while still fighting off Tuaparang soldiers.

"Hello Felix, it's been a long time, I wasn't expecting to find you in Laliverio."

"Neither was he, that's my doing I suppose. It's good to see you Piers. Who's your friend and who are these guys?" Sheba inquired.

"I'm Nowell, daughter of Mia, it is an honor to meet you." the female Mercury adept introduced. "As for our friends these are soldiers from the nation of Tuaparang, a nation somewhere in Angara, what they want in here in Laliverio is beyond me."

"Less talking, more fighting." Felix muttered, still a little winded. The battle continued on from there, the adepts barely keeping ahead of the invaders, even using everything they had. "Help me!" Nowell cried as she was swamp by Tuaparang soldiers. The Warriors of Vale rushed forward to help their friend's child but as they did so Sheba was hit by a spark shurikan and became stunned. "Sheba!" Felix doubled back to make sure his wife was alright leaving Piers to wade through enemy soldiers as best he could. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the final blow was delivered.

"Nowell!" he cried as her body gave out. She appeared to still be breathing, the enemy must have only knocked her out but why he wasn't sure.

"That's enough, I'll take it from here," a blue skinned man wielding a sword appeared from the airship, "Take the girl up to the ship."

"Piers, you came on your boat right?" Felix asked smoothly.

"Yes, why?" the Lemurian asked, confused as to what his old companion was getting at.

"Take Sheba to the boat and get away from here. Tell Isaac and the others what happened here."

"Felix, you're in no shape to fight this guy alone." Piers protested.

"Someone's got to stall him and my wife's safety is the most important thing to me."

"Just go," the Tuaparang swordsmen said, "Felix is right someone _does_ need to tell Isaac what happened here and I'm really only interested in Felix at the moment anyway. You won't be pursued."

"Alright we'll go but first," Piers pulled a potion and a psy crystal out of his pouch, "Felix catch!" The Earth adept turned caught and consumed the restorative items.

"Thanks Piers, this should make things a little more interesting. Now get out of here, I'll handle this guy don't worry."

"You had better; I still want to have to have a husband when this is over!" Sheba called as and Piers left Laliverio and began the trek to the ship.

"Mia is going to kill me, Nowell was in my care and I let her get kidnapped…" Piers muttered after they had traveled a fair distance.

"She won't get the chance," Sheba countered, "Jenna will kill us _both _for leaving Felix behind."

* * *

><p>Felix and his opponent circled one another like vultures sizing each other up. Whoever this man was skilled, he could tell just by his stance.<p>

"Who are you and what do you want?" Felix asked.

"You mean you don't remember me? I'm hurt. Oh well it doesn't matter, let's go." The Tuaparang swordsmen lunged forward only to have Felix block his strike. The pair began a deadly dance of blades in the middle of Laliverio; Felix could see the townsfolk watching from their windows.

"What do you want?" Felix demanded.

"Right now, I just want to test an old friend, you really have improved Felix and you married Sheba, how cute." his opponent said. The pair stopped fighting for the moment.

"You talk as if you know me, I'll as again who are you?" the Venus adept asked, quite exasperated now.

"The Tuaparang call me Blados but you knew me by another name, I really thought you would remember me, even after all these years; I haven't changed _that_ much and after all I did for you too. Perhaps _this _will jog your memory." the Tuaparang swordsmen cast Pyroclasm.

"A Mars adept," suddenly it all clicked in Felix's mind, "Saturos, but Isaac…"

"Killed me on top of Venus Lighthouse? Yes, yes he did but you could say I've been given a new lease on life by the Tuaparang, a little thing called necromancy. Now then, our leader would like to have you as a guest."

"And if I refuse?"

"You're still not strong enough to beat me, now please come with me peacefully; I have no desire to harm you. Felix." Saturos said.

"Very well." Felix said, knowing the truth of Saturos' words. The Mars Adept was just as powerful as he remembered and while he had improved immensely over the years, he wasn't strong enough to defeat the strongest warrior Prox had produced in recent memory on his own.

* * *

><p>Matthew was panicking; a giant Psynergy vortex ad appeared near the Lookout Cabin. This wasn't good, not good at all. That ting was probably the Mourning Moon.<p>

"Do you think their alright? I mean that thing is _huge_!" leave it to Tyrell to pint out the obvious.

"Of course, they're alright; Isaac and Garet can take care of themselves." Karis assured him. Matthew wished he shared her confidence. It wasn't that he doubted his father and Garet's power or skill but a Psynergy vortex wasn't exactly something you could fight against… Of course Karis knew that. The more Matthew thought about it the more it seemed like she was just trying to keep Tyrell calm. After all out of all of them his best friend had been the only one to feel the draining effects of a Psynergy vortex first hand.

"There's only one way to find out." Matthew took charge with a sigh, after everything they'd been through his friends defaulted to him taking the lead now. He began to walk toward the Lookout Cabin, dreading what he might find. His father and Garet could be dead for all he knew. Matthew said a silent prayer to the Wise One that this was not the case. Matthew got about halfway across the bridge before something amazing happened. Isaac and Garet appeared in a mass of colored lights along with a blue haired woman he didn't know.

"Hello son," Isaac greeted. After having been away for so long and the death scare of five seconds ago Matthew couldn't hold in his feelings anymore and ran to his father, embracing him, "It's good to see you too son."

"Wow you two weren't kidding Matthew and Tyrell are the spitting image of you in the old days." The mystery woman remarked.

"How do you know our dads?" Tyrell asked, blunt as always.

"That's right we forgot to introduce her didn't we," Garet realized, "Son, this is Mia, she travelled with us on the Golden Sun quest thirty years ago."

"_The_ Mia, Nowell and Rief's mom?" Karis inquired.

"One and the same," The Mercury adept confirmed, "How are my children?"

"No offense Mia but why are you here?" Matthew asked. He got the distinct impression he was missing something here. Mia lived all the way in Imil up north by the Mercury Lighthouse, why would she be here? Something just didn't add up.

"That's a long story and I don't think this is the place to tell it." Isaac motioned over to the giant Psynergy vortex.

"Yeah, you're right Isaac and I doubt the cabin will be safe for long," Garet added, "What about Patcher's Place?"

"That's a good idea, we can rest and catch up there, and I think we all have a lot to talk about. I can teleport us there." Isaac offered.

"Yes, we do have a lot to talk about, I think it best we do it quickly and in a safe spot." Mia agreed. The Adapts gathered around so Isaac could use the Teleport Psynergy. The next thing they knew the group was outside Patcher's Place.

"That was totally awesome!" Tyrell exclaimed.

"For once you're right son, Teleport never gets old." Garet agreed.

"Now isn't the time to be admiring the Teleport Psynergy." Isaac chided gently as the group stepped into the general store inn hybrid. Matthew began to feel a bit nostalgic as he looked around, the last time he'd been here was the day he started the quest for the Mountain Roc feather, the quest that went horribly awry.

"Well Isaac, Garet, long time no see you're a little late picking up your supplies this month, even with that Eclipse thing. That reminds me why didn't you two come and help us with the monsters? Thankfully, no one was hurt. I see the kids are back too. Not only that but if my eyes aren't failing that's Imil's angel Mia isn't it? What an honor this is."

"Yes that's Mia, Garet and I travelled to Imil to go see her, that's we didn't pick up supplies. The Eclipse hit while we were travelling, that's why we didn't come to help you out." Isaac explained. Once again Matthew got a feeling it the pit of his stomach that he was missing something important but the relief that no one from Patcher's Place was harmed in the Grave Eclipse quashed it.

"You know Mia, Patcher?" Karis asked.

"Only by reputation, although I do believe she helped some of the people of Vale resettle after the Golden Sun destroyed the town." he said.

"Patcher, we need a place to stay for the night, maybe longer, the cabin is a bit unlivable at the moment. I promise my son won't burn down your store. Right Tyrell?" Garet said.

"Dad, I wouldn't dream of it, I've really grown up after travelling Angara and besides Matthew and Karis convinced Patcher here to be a little warmer to me as is." Tyrell replied, brimming with a confidence that they children of the Warriors of Vale had all gained during their quest. Matthew inwardly smiled seeing how much his best friend had matured.

"That'll be twelve coins for tonight." Patcher told them. Isaac nodded and placed the coins on the counter.

"Let's go find a table," The leader of the Warriors of Vale said, the Adepts set down at a nearby table. Every one of them was ready to get down to business,

"Alright, I'll make this simple, while we were in Imil Alex showed up and as far as we can tell he's planning something. What he's planning, we don't know but since its Alex we know it's not good. He said you three have some information that might help us." Matthew tensed; his father had run to Alex, considering they were old enemies, that was not a good sign.

"In short we need to know about your quest, don't leave anything out." Garet told them. Matthew gulped; he'd been dreading this ever since they started heading home. What would his father say when he found out his only child had played a major role in unleashing the Grave Eclipse that had killed so many people across Angara? That said, Matthew couldn't lie to his father, the truth would come out sooner or later, and sooner was probably better.

"Alright, I'll tell you but afterwards you have to tell us why you were in Imil Dad," Matthew said, "I thought you were going to stay at the cabin because you thought the Wise One was in danger but in retrospect it's probably a good thing you didn't there's no telling how long that giant Psynergy vortex was outside the cabin. Anyway it all started back at Carver's Camp, a Psynergy Vortex destroyed the bridge so we had to meet Kraden in Konpa Ruins. When we finally found him he was with Rief and Nowell studying a Psynergy vortex in the ruins. We then got ambushed by Alex and Tuaparang forces…" Matthew continued with the story all the way though the events of the Apollo Lens.

"We figured you kids had something to do with that Eclipse." Garet declared.

"It wasn't their fault, the real question is what Alex wanted the Eclipse for, knowing him he was playing both sides, you and the Tuaparang." Isaac said.

"Still that was all very impressive, I can see why Isaac and Garet trust you so much." Mia complimented.

"Now it's time for your end of the deal, why were you and Garet in Imil Dad?" Matthew asked. He caught the Warriors of Vale exchange a look.

"Look Matthew, this isn't easy for me to say… so I'm going to just come out and say it. Mia and I have been exchanging letters since before you three even left. I went to Imil to… visit her…" Isaac stopped speaking something Matthew knew very uncharacteristic of his father. Isaac may not speak a lot but when he did he never cut himself off.

"Matthew, your father and I are in love." Mia finished softly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Matthew slammed his hands down on the table stood up and marched to his room and slammed the door. He curled up into the fetal position and just sat there for he didn't know how long before there was a knock at the door.

"Go away!" the called thinking it was either his father or Mia.

"It's Garet, I just want to talk." Garet said from the other side of the door.

"Fine come in." the Venus adept relented. Garet stepped into the room and sat down next to him.

"Why did you storm out like that?" he asked.

"I think you know why." Matthew growled.

"It's about your father and Mia isn't it," he nodded to Garet's question, "It was my idea to go to Imil. He was just so happy when he got those letters… I guess it just reminded me of the old days in Vale, before _our _quest. Part of me wanted my best friend back. The happy Isaac who didn't look so tired and weary all the time because he thought he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. So I pushed him to pursue Mia, he was hesitant, afraid exactly this would happen." Garet admitted. Matthew sighed taking that all in.

"I want my dad to be happy, I guess I just always hoped that he'd be happy with my mom, you know. I barely remember her anymore and we never visit her and she's never visited the cabin either but she's my mom… What I do remember about her isn't much but I know she was a great woman. Why did she leave Garet? Did she not love me?" by the end of this Matthew had broken down and was crying. He felt Garet pat him on the back.

"Your mother loves you very much. I've known her all my life kid, Jenna would never stop loving you. However the Golden Sun quest and its aftermath changed all of us, especially when the Mourning Moon came. We know we did the right thing unsealing Alchemy but the destruction those vortexes caused divided us. Jenna thought she lost her parents and Felix in the Mount Aleph boulder incident, then three years later finds out her brother is alive and gets kidnapped by Saturos and Menardi, finds out her parents are alive and gets blackmailed into breaking her home's sacred laws to save them and nearly killed her parents on top of Mars Lighthouse. She was done with adventure; Jenna just wanted a nice quiet life with your father. After the Psynergy vortexes appeared Isaac wanted to fix it because he felt it was our fault and I agreed," Garet narrated, "Your parents just drifted apart Matthew and your father and I, well we knew we wouldn't be around forever so we decide to train you and Tyrell and your mother moved to Kalay."

"So Dad is happy?" Matthew asked. Garet nodded.

"The happiest I've seen him in a long time. Don't worry; he'll ease you into this like he wanted to in the first place."

"This is going to take some getting used to…" the boy muttered.

"Yeah it will." Garet agreed.

* * *

><p>Ivan heard a tapping on the window. He walked over to find a carrier pigeon outside. That was odd the only people he knew with carrier pigeons were Isaac, Kraden and Piers, why would any of them need to send a message to Kalay? Life was quiet here, he had taken up Lord Hammet's position as ruler of the town, no nation now with his wife. If his needed something oyher than another Soarwing, it meant his peace was about to be shattered. He let it in and took the note and read it over.<p>

_Dear Ivan and Jenna,_

_There's a situation. I was tracking the Tuaparang in Northern Gondowan. They invaded Laliverio. Felix and Sheba settled there. The town is safe and Sheba's with me on the ship but Felix is missing. Knowing him he's still alive but he's probably been abducted by the Tuaparang_._ I've sent notes to the others; we're going to get him back. My ship only has room for a small crew and I'm sure those kids will want to come along too so hurry to Port Rago or find alternate means of transportation because the Tuaparang are on the move again._

_-Piers_

"Jenna!" he called. The female Mars adept walked into the room.

"What is it Ivan?" she asked her second husband.

"I just got a letter from Piers, he found your brother," he replied. Jenna brightened considerably at that, "He was in Laliverio with Sheba, looks like those two settled down just like we thought. However, I've got some bad news. Felix has been kidnapped by the Tuaparang. He saved the town and Sheba is with Piers." Ivan told her.

"I take it Piers wants to stage a rescue, he owes us that much from the Kimbobo incident and he's our friend so he'd help debt or no." Jenna remarked. Ivan nodded.

"He sent a note to Isaac, Garet, and Mia as well. Isaac will want to bring the kids too I'll bet, and Piers' ship only has room for so many people. So it's a race to Port Rago." he explained. Jenna walked over to a sealed chest and much to Ivan's shock pulled out her old equipment.

"There's no way we'll beat Isaac and the others to Port Rago and I'm not going to sit around while my brother's in danger. We're going to Champa, I know a pirate who owes me for fixing his ship. Piers is right he and we can't afford to wait around."

* * *

><p>Isaac gathered everyone around a table in Patcher's place where they were still staying.<p>

"I just got a letter from Piers, the Tuaparang invaded Laliverio. He managed to repel the invasion with the help of Felix and Sheba who apparently settled there. However it didn't come free, they kidnapped Nowell and Felix's fate is… undetermined." he announced.

"My daughter, they took my daughter…" Mia muttered with an uncharacteristic fire. Isaac could understand where she was coming from, he'd march into Hell to help Matthew.

"Why would they attack Laliverio? The only thing near there is..." Garet began.

"Venus Lighthouse," Isaac finished, "and Alex was in Imil. The Tuaparang are after the Lighthouses and Alex is after something that makes him want to at least pretend to help them. This is more serious than we thought."

"This has got to be a trap." Karis piped in.

"Yeah the Tuaparang used us like tools before; they're probably trying to do it again." Matthew agreed.

"But Nowell is Rief's sister, can we really call ourselves his friends if we don't try to help her?" Tyrell agued.

"Don't worry; we're going to save Nowell, trap or no. We're going to meet Piers at Port Rago. " Isaac declared.

* * *

><p>And so the Zenith conflict begins I just felt I needed to use this chapter to reintroduce the old guard and things. Wow this turned out longer than I thought it would I hope you enjoyed it. Oh and something for you to think about the High Emyporer of Tuaparang is a character from one of the first two games but it is not one of the Warriors of Vale, Alex or obviously Saturos. Have fun speculating.<p>

The rest of the Dark Dawn cast, and Felix and Sheba's son will be making appearances and have major roles to play so don't worry about that. Jaros is an adept, though what kind will be my secret for now. And most importantly to a lot of you the shippings for this fic are: Mudshipping , Hotplasmashipping, Lighthouseshipping, Spiritshipping, Sparkshipping, and Sailingshipping.


	3. Chapter 2

**Golden Sun: The Zenith Conflict**

**Chapter 2: Travel Plans**

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun that honor goes to Nintendo and Camelot.

"So what's the plan Isaac? I mean, I know we're heading to Port Rago to meet Piers but after that." Garet asked.

"Well the Tuaparang are going after the lighthouses and if the invasion of Laliverio is any indication, they want to use the towns close to the lighthouses as bases of operation so our first priority should be securing those towns." Isaac replied as the group walked on toward their destination.

"That would mean the target towns are Laliverio, Contigo, Prox, and Imil," Mia paused, "Without me my home is completely undefended from invasion!" Isaac put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"Mia, we need you in the fight against Alex and the Tuaparang, love us or hate us the people of Weyard will expect us to fight this threat and it will take all of us, the Warriors of Vale and our children together." Isaac reminded her.

"What about getting one of the neighboring nations to send an expeditionary force to defend Imil," Karis asked, the girl was exceedingly bright she would come up with such an idea, "Bilbin is certainly close enough." Garet snorted at that.

"The idea isn't bad kid, but the rulers of Bilbin, Lady and Lord McCoy aren't big fans of the Warriors of Vale. Not since the Kolima incident thirty years ago. They kind off didn't want us to break Tret's curse but we did it anyway, breaking through Lord McCoy's sorry excuse for a barricade to do so." Garet explained.

"That _thing_ wasn't a barricade; it was barely a stack of cardboard boxes. It took all of five seconds to find its weak spot. Honestly, even a non-Adept could've gotten past." Isaac recalled.

"Well Lord McCoy warmed up to us but Lady McCoy is another story entirely, she wasn't happy that our actions halted construction on her palace. Rumor has it she's the one running the country though, so going to Bilbin for help is out of the question." Mia amended.

"We could go to Belinsk; the Kingdom of Morgall owes us for saving them from the Grave Eclipse. They'd happily send forces to protect Imil if we asked." Matthew suggested, a hint of eagerness in his tone that made Isaac quirk an eyebrow in question.

"You just want to go back to Belinsk so you can see Sveta again." Tyrell teased. Isaac caught his son elbow his best friend in the ribs. Isaac raised an eyebrow at this.

"Is there something you forgot to mention son?" he asked turning to Matthew.

"Just that he's got a _huge_ crush on the Queen of the Beastmen." Tyrell said.

"Shut up Tyrell! I do _not_ have a crush on Sveta, we're just friends! Yes, I'd like to see her but I made the suggestion to help with the mission."

"Yeah, right Matthew, we all saw the way you looked at her and after that spirit sharing thing on the Apollo Lens, it would be stupid to deny you don't feel something for her." Karis interjected.

"I would have done the same thing for any member of the team." He protested a bit too much in Isaac's estimation.

"Yes," Karis agreed, "but you did it for Sveta."

"Can we please just drop the subject?" the young Venus Adept pleaded.

"For now, but we're still going to tease you buddy." Tyrell replied.

"Appealing to Morgall wouldn't work anyway," Isaac said after a moment, "The Beastmen would have to cross over Bilbin's territory to even get to Imil and the two don't exactly get along. Any movement of troops from Morgall through the land of Bilbin, even if it's just passing through to go protect Imil, could spark a war and that's the last thing we need right now."

"Well, it seems were in a rather sticky situation when it comes to my home doesn't it," Mia muttered. Isaac noticed her begin to stare at the ground and he began to feel more and guiltier for visiting Imil in the first place and unknowingly dragging her into this mess.

"Mia… If you want to go back to Imil we won't stop you. It's your home and you have a right to defend it." He told her.

"Yeah, I'm sure Isaac and I can handle this, we'll have the others helping us, not to mention the kids." Garet added.

"Thank you both but this as much my problem as it is yours, if not more. Alex is a member of the Mercury clan an as the head of said clan it's my responsibility to deal with him. Besides, I wouldn't feel right sitting at home knowing you guys are out there fighting to save the world again." Mia replied.

"We'll find a way to help Imil." Isaac promised. He walked over and gave her a quick kiss.

"Argh, my eyes! Get a room you two!" Tyrell screeched.

"Grow up son, it's not like you haven't seen me kiss your mother before. People who are in love kiss" Garet said.

"Argh! Thanks Dad now I have to boil my brain!" Tyrell whined. Garet rolled his eyes.

"_I_ think it's romantic." Karis said. However Isaac noticed his son stiffen slightly.

"_Matthew needs more time to adjust. I probably shouldn't kiss Mia in front of him for awhile."_ he mused.

"You _would_, you're a girl Karis." The young Mars Adept of the group countered.

"Thank you for noticing Tyrell, but you say that like it's a bad thing." she replied.

"I think all that time in the cabin affected my best friend in a bad way. Maybe he just doesn't like girls…" the banter between his friends seemed to have relaxed Matthew.

"Oh Tyrell, you're gay, why didn't you tell us, don't worry we still love you." Yep Karis was most definitely Jenna's daughter, that tone was unmistakable. Almost sickeningly sweet in its sound but so barb-like in its intent that it could make anyone reel.

"I'M NOT GAY!" Tyrell protested, "I just meant that girls love that mushy stuff."

"Prove it." Matthew challenged.

"How am I supposed to prove something like that?" the son of Garet shot back.

"Well, how do _you_ know you're not gay Tyrell?" Karis inquired.

"I like girls." he muttered vehemently.

"Alright then buddy, name one girl you've had a crush on and we'll stop teasing you about being gay, I promise." Matthew offered.

"I can't it's too embarrassing." Tyrell hung his head.

"The sun is going down; we should camp here for the night." Isaac decided to come to Tyrell's rescue just this once. Of course it helped that it really was getting dark. The leader of the Warriors of Vale set down his pack. They'd been traveling for awhile now, almost two months in order to allow Piers and Sheba to reach Port Rago. After all they had to sail from northern Gondowan and around the continent of Angara.

The campsite he'd chosen was a more or less flat grassy area with a couple large rock formations close by. Isaac pulled out the map and tried to plot their progress in the sunset light. They were close, good, "We should reach Port Rago tomorrow." he announced. Then the real work begins he thought to himself.

"So where do you want us to put our blanket rolls Dad?" Matthew asked.

"You kids can set up by that big rock over there," Isaac pointed to a large rock formation that while easily in walking distance was still a fair distance away, "It will give you shelter in case it rains. Garet, Mia and I will sleep right here."

"Alright Dad, I'm going to turn in for the night, I'm exhausted." Matthew replied.

"Good night son." The elder of the Venus Adepts said. He watched his son walk over to the rock formation, Karis and Tyrell following. Isaac laid out his own bedroll on the ground.

"Isaac what's on your mind, you seem stressed," Garet observed, "Normally I can read you but you're being even quieter than usual." Isaac turned to his best friend and sighed.

"I'm just worried Garet, we're up against an entire country. This isn't like our quest thirty years ago. We're not just chasing after a couple Mars Adepts. This could turn into full on war if we aren't careful. The Warriors of Vale may be legendary but we are out of our element, no pun intended."

"Yeah, I know what you mean; this is a completely different kind of conflict than our usual stuff. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous." he replied.

"We'll be fine," Mia told them, "We're the Warriors of Vale, and a lot of people owe us favors and will help us out."

"Just as many people hate us," Garet reminded her, "and judging by the damage the Grave Eclipse did our kids are in the same boat." Isaac nodded somberly, Garet was right; asking for help from friends would stir up their enemies.

"We'll need to know which towns need the most defending so we can plan accordingly, "Isaac said, "Sheba's been living in Laliverio so she should be able to give us a good idea of its defenses when we meet up with her and Piers tomorrow. So that means we need to worry about the other three lighthouse towns."

"You already know about the Imil situation." His fiancé reminded him sadly. The Venus Adept felt another pang of guilt for letting Mia come along. She loved the people of Imil; if she'd known they were going to be put in danger by her leaving Mia wouldn't be here right now, that much Isaac knew. However at the same time he was glad that Imil's angel was with them, not only for the somewhat selfish reason of being in love with her but because if she had stayed in her hometown she would be put in danger trying to defend it from the Tuaparang alone.

"I'm pretty sure Prox can handle itself. It being a town full of Mars Adept warriors and all." His best friend piped in. thankfully taking the focus off of Imil for the time being.

"Good point Garet, but I think we should go check up on Prox at some point anyway." he replied.

"That's probably a good idea," Mia agreed, "From what the kids are telling us the Tuaparang are very militant and while the Proxians may be able to hold out longer than most, there's no guarantee that they can hold the Tuaparang off without help indefinitely."

"You're right Mia." Garet admitted.

"So that leaves Contigo to worry about and we have no idea what its defenses are like at this point; it looks like we'll be taking a trip to Atteka." Isaac mused.

"I wonder if Master Hama is still there. Her ability to see the future could help us a lot in finding out what the Tuaparang are planning." Mia said. Garet snorted at this.

"She wasn't very helpful in our first quest, other than teaching Ivan Reveal and giving us the Hover Jade. While those things were important to our quest all she did was give us new powers. Master Hama could have been much more helpful, like telling us about the Trident of Ankohl for instance so we could have gotten to Lemuria."

"That's not important right now; we need to get some sleep." Isaac emphasized this point by lying down himself.

"Isaac we never did decide what we were going to do about Imil." Mia said.

"I'm at a loss at the moment sweetie; I'm hoping Piers and Sheba might have some ideas. Get some sleep, I promise we'll find a way to save your home." he replied. Mia nodded and went silent as did Garet.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the campsite the kids were having a conversation of their own. Unfortunately for Matthew it was on a very delicate subject matter for him: Mia.<p>

"So Matthew what do you think of Mia?" Karis asked.

"I already told you Karis. I don't want to talk about it. Drop the subject." he snapped coldly.

"That was a bit much don't you think Matthew?" Tyrell asked.

"No, I've told you both plenty of times I don't want to talk about it and you two keep asking." he growled.

"We're worried about you Matthew," Karis said, "You've been so quiet and snappish ever since that first day of travel. It's not like you. We just want to know what's wrong."

"I thought you were the smart one Karis, you figure it out yourself." The tone was rude and obviously meant to be insulting. Matthew turned and began to walk away, or at least he would have if someone hadn't grabbed his shoulder. The Venus Adept was forcibly spun around and saw white as Tyrell's fist slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground.

"Take that back, there's no reason to talk to her like that. We just want to help you." Tyrell declared.

"A fist in the face is supposed to help me?" Matthew asked sarcastically.

"Someone has to smack some sense into you; you're not acting like yourself. The Matthew I know would never insult his friends like that. What is wrong with you?" The Mars Adept replied.

"Mia is my problem and I told you I don't want to talk about her but you two keep pressing the issue. Friends would listen to me when I tell them to drop it." The son of Isaac admitted.

"It's not good to bottle up your emotions like this. It's not healthy; you need to talk about it. Let it all out." The Jupiter Adept of the group told him.

"I don't want to let it out. It's none of your business." Matthew said vehemently before walking away. He went a fair distance into the trees to where he was out of earshot. Mia. He was so sick of hearing about Mia. Watching that woman flirt with his father was sickening. What right did she have to love his father? Mia wasn't his mother.

"_Your father is happy."_ Matthew reminded himself. Isn't that what really mattered? He wanted his father to be happy but seeing him with Mia, just felt so _wrong_. What about his mother, Jenna, did all the years they spent together mean nothing to his father? It was all so new, he didn't know how to deal with this. So Matthew just took it out on any monsters stupid enough to approach him.

* * *

><p>Karis watched the trees nervously. She was worried about Matthew, he'd been gone nearly an hour now and the Sun had fully sunk below the horizon several minutes ago. She'd thought about following when he left but Tyrell had stopped her, saying that Matthew just needed some time alone. She didn't have much choice but to trust Tyrell's judgment on this matter, he had grown up with Matthew and knew him better than she did.<p>

"He's perfectly fine, I can sense him." a voice said quietly likely trying not to wake the sleeping Tyrell.

"Oh hello Isaac," Karis said in surprise, "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Nope, my mind won't stop running it's just like the old days. Planning and worrying, when you're the leader it never stops, not even in your sleep." he told her as he sat down on an adjacent rock.

"Matthew was the same way on our quest; it must run in the family I guess. I'm worried about him, he's not himself." Karis said.

"I know why too, it's Mia. It's odd for him to see me with another woman besides his mom. It hurts, he's always had it in his head that his mom and I would get together someday but I think you and I both know that won't happen." Isaac winked at her. Karis' eyes widened at the implication in his words.

"How long have you known?" she asked quickly.

"I didn't but I always suspected, you have a lot of Jenna in you Karis." Isaac answered.

"And since you weren't sure you never told Matthew." she surmised.

'Exactly Karis, and you didn't tell him either." The elder warrior pointed out.

"My parents told me not to when they told me." Karis explained.

"That's just as well; I'm not sure how well he'd take it at this point, considering how my relationship with Mia has gone over. It would probably crush him." Isaac mused.

"You're going to run into my parents on this journey. The secret will come out, there's no avoiding it." Karis told him. Isaac sighed.

"I know, I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe it was wrong to start dating Mia, maybe it's too soon. I could break it off, for Matthew's sake…" Isaac mused, Karis got the feeling he was talking more to himself than to her. She answered anyway however.

"No don't do that! It's not fair to you or Mia. My mom moved on to my dad a long time ago and you've been sitting in a cabin for years more or less miserable while she ruled in comfort as Lady of Kalay, I love my mother but she hurt you, I can see it in your eyes Isaac. This is part of the healing process, accepting it and moving on. Matthew just hasn't accepted that his mother, _my_ mother, isn't coming back to you." she said.

"I know that, but I have to think about what's best for Matthew. Maybe I should've waited until after the truth was out to start dating Mia." The Warrior of Vale said.

"Maybe you should have, yes, but it's too late for that now," Karis insisted, "It's best to go forward, not back. Stay with Mia, everyone can see how happy she makes you. I'm going to tell Matthew the truth when he gets back…"

"Karis, I know my son and you know your friend, er… half-brother. This will break him. I'm not sure if I can bear that." he told her.

"And giving him false hope is a good alternative? Matthew may break at this news but the sooner he breaks, the sooner he gets put back together." she argued. Isaac sighed.

"I suppose you're right, you got your father's brains and your mother's stubbornness, I truly pity the man you'll one day marry Karis because he's in for one hell of a ride," Karis blushed at this and stole a minute glance at the sleeping form of Tyrell, "Anyway, Matthew's coming back and I don't think I want to be here when this news breaks. Good luck kid." With that Isaac departed to his end of the campsite, leaving Karis alone with the dying embers of the fire the three younger Adepts had made as her only company. About ten minutes later Matthew emerged from the trees. He didn't acknowledge Karis and she hadn't been expecting him too, she wagered her half-brother was still a little cross.

"Matthew, we need to talk." she said softly.

"I already told you, we don't have anything to talk about Karis. Just leave me alone. That's all I want from you right now." He replied bitterly. Karis shrunk a little but pressed on.

"There's something you need to understand about your parents Matthew, something important."

"If it's about how they're broken up and I should just accept and be happy for my dad and Mia I don't want to hear it. I'll tell you one more time: _leave me alone!_" she could hear the anger bleeding into Matthew's voice but Karis knew she couldn't stop now, he needed to here this.

"You're on the right track," she admitted, "but wrong parent, what I'm about to tell you concerns your mother not your father."

"What would you know about my mother Karis?" he spat. Karis could understand he was having a rough time adjusting to the changes going on around him but this was just ridiculous. No matter how much he was hurting inside there was no excuse for him treating her like this. Isaac had said that she inherited Jenna's stubbornness and while that was true she had inherited something else from her mother as well: her temper. Karis' frustration with Matthew as beginning to make her blood boil and her next words would be a reflection of that.

"I know quite a bit more about her than _you_ do Mathew, considering I live in Kalay and saw her every day when I wasn't off visiting you and Tyrell at the Lookout Cabin or off on our mission to retrieve the Roc feather," Matthew opening his mouth to say something but she cut him off continuing her little rant, "Especially considering she's _my_ mother to." A ghost of a smirk played on Karis' lips as she watched her half-brother give a start at this revelation. After all the hell he'd put her through today, this payback was simply priceless.

"What?" Matthew asked flatly as he recoiled in shock. He must have heard wrong he told himself. He could've sworn Karis had just told him that his mother was her mother too. That couldn't be right, it just couldn't be. She was Ivan's daughter, so if she wasn't lying, then that would mean… NO! That couldn't be true!

"I said Jenna is my mother as well as yours." The words came slowly as if Karis felt she was explaining something to a child. Matthew found this more than mildly insulting.

"No, you're lying, you have to be. My mother would never…" he trailed off.

"Would never what Matthew? Fall for my father; is that how that sentence was going to end? What do you know about her? She left your father shortly after you were born. She raised me."

"You're lying!" the son of Isaac insisted, as if shouting it would make his belief true.

"What would I gain from lying to you about this," Karis asked in an exasperated tone, "Use your brain Matthew." The Venus Adept mulled this over for a moment and had to concede the point; she really had nothing to gain from this deception if it was such. However if Karis wasn't lying to him then that meant… that meant his mother had moved on. His mother had moved on, to Ivan of all people. Matthew had to bet no one saw that one coming. A wave of sadness enveloped him as he pondered the implications of this.

"It's not fair." he said sadly, tears coming slowly, "It's just not fair. Why did _you _get all her attention? I'm her child too. Was I not good enough for her? Was that it Karis? Answer me!"

"That's not it at all Matthew," she answered soothingly, "Our mother always regretted never coming to see you but it was just too hard for her to face your father. There was so much pain there from the split and you couldn't visit Kalay without finding out the truth."

"My mother moved on so quickly… Why wasn't I told? How long have you known?" he inquired almost mechanically.

"Well Isaac always suspected but he wasn't sure until I confirmed it tonight and since he wasn't sure he didn't see any point in telling you. As for me, I've known since I was about ten. I had a bit of a crush on you back then and in order to avoid some… embarrassing situations my parents told me. I was sworn to secrecy, my parents didn't see the need for anyone in the Lookout Cabin to find out at that point." Karis explained.

"I… need some sleep." Matthew went to his bedroll and let sleep claim him, with his mind seemingly in shock said sleep came quickly.

* * *

><p>Jenna gasped as she and Ivan approached Champa, or more accurately what was <em>left<em> of Champa. The majority of the town's residents were in tents outside the town proper and the actual town itself had been burned to the ground. It was a sad sight to say the least.

"What happened here?" Jenna mused as he took in her surroundings.

"Maybe someone attacked them to get revenge for all the raids they've performed across Angara?" Ivan suggested.

"I wish it had been something that mundane, we had to burn the town down to keep the monsters spawned by the Grave Eclipse." a voice called from the nearby docks. The Warriors of Vale turned to find a redheaded man somewhere in his early thirties coming toward them. To Jenna's eye he looked oddly like Briggs, "I'll assume the Grave Eclipse missed your home since you don't know what caused all this but then that begs the question, what business Ivan, Lord of Kalay and his fellow Warrior of Vale Jenna have in Champa?"

"I'm sorry do we know you?" Ivan asked in confusion.

"She does," the stranger said gesturing to Jenna, "I'd never forget her, even though I was only a baby when we last met. I know you by reputation only Ivan." Jenna scrunched her brow in concentration trying to remember this person; he was only a baby when they last met? He looked a lot like Briggs…

"You're Eoleo, Briggs' son!" she declared finally making the connection.

"Guilty as charged," Eoleo said, "Now what can Champa do for you today?"

"We were actually hoping to speak to your father, we need a boat and from what Jenna tells me Briggs is a more than able captain." The Lord of Kalay replied.

"He was," Eoleo said somberly, "He died in Belinsk at the start of the Grave Eclipse Event, orchestrated by the Tuaparang not too long ago."

"Grave Eclipse?" Ivan asked.

"A shroud of darkness enveloped most of Angara, causing some rather nasty monsters to appear and run wild, even in towns. The death toll was outrageous. Your kids Mathew and Karis helped stop it as did I." the son of Briggs explained.

"Briggs is dead," Jenna asked in disbelief. The man hadn't been a saint by any stretch but he was still someone Jenna remembered fondly from the Golden Sun quest. Piracy certainly wasn't a noble profession but he'd been trying to help his town, his people survive, "Eoleo, I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault," the pirate prince said offhandedly, "It's those damned Tuaparang that are to blame. I swear, if I ever see those scum buckets again I'll make them pay for killing my father." Jenna saw Eoleo's fists clench in rage. She could understand that feeling. All these years she hadn't even known if Felix was alive and now he was in the hands of the Tuaparang. The female Mars Adept shuddered at the thought of what the Tuaparang might be doing to her brother. For all she knew her information was out of date and Felix _was _dead. Either way Jenna was going to give Tuaparang hell.

"Well you're in luck then because Ivan and I just so happen to be seeking out the Tuaparang, but we need a boat to do so." she said.

"You're looking to mix it up with the Tuaparang? I know the Warriors of Vale are a powerful lot but just two of you against an entire empire? I don't like those odds. Anyway why do you need a boat from Champa, I know Kalay has its own boats." Eoleo said.

"They kidnapped my brother; I have to go rescue him. We plan to meet up with the other Warriors of Vale before actually making the assault but the boat they'll be using doesn't have room for us because they'll be bringing along Matthew, Karis, and Tyrell." The Lady of Kalay explained.

"As for why we don't use a boat from Kalay for this, well the fact of the matter is that they just aren't designed to travel in the open ocean. The ships only sail the usually calm Karagol Sea. Our captains wouldn't be able to navigate in the ocean, not to mention actually getting our ships into the ocean would be quite the ordeal in and of itself." Ivan said. The leader of Champa nodded at this.

"My personal crew and I will escort you in this venture, like I said I have a score to settle with the Tuaparang. I hope you don't mind if we make a few stops along the way, I know some Adepts who would be of great help to you." He told them/

"Who?" I van asked quirking an eyebrow,

"The Eclipse Warriors, that's what they call us now anyway. If Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis are all going, then they'll jump at the chance. The Tuaparang are just as much their problem as they are yours, if not more so. My family owes you and your brother anyway Jenna, for fixing that boat." Eoleo told them before stepping on to a vessel that looked to be of Lemurian make. Ivan and Jenna followed, ready to begin the next phase of their journey.

* * *

><p>Takeru, son of Susa and Kushinada, King and Queen of Yamata stared silently at the cabin in front of him. He had traveled far, all the way to the base of Mount Aleph on the Goma Plateau all on the word of his sister Himi. Himi saw things, visions of the future so when she said Isaac of the Warriors of Vale was in danger he, and the people of Yamata believed her.<p>

His sister's visions in and of themselves were an unsettling occurrence. It was said by many scholars of the ancient past that only Jupiter Adepts, users of wind's might have the ability to see the future and yet Himi, a Venus Adept could. It did not make sense. Such unnatural occurrences were never a good omen.

Still Takeru had more pressing concerns, namely helping Isaac. That is, if he could find the man. Living near Mt. Mikage all his life had made Takeru's Venus Psynergy strong, he could sense things, even people through the vibrations in the Earth. That cabin was empty, not even a corpse to tell him what had happened to Isaac. He simply wasn't there/

"_Could Himi have been wrong?"_ he thought. That didn't seem likely, Himi's visions had always been correct in the past, that's why she was a priestess. No, the only logical conclusion was that Isaac had left the cabin. When he left or where Isaac was going Takeru hadn't the foggiest idea but he had a sinking sensation the man's absence didn't bode well for the safety of Weyard.

The Prince of Yamata turned and fixed a deeper than usual scowl at the giant Psynergy Vortex hat lingered near the cabin. Perhaps Isaac had fled to escape this thing. If that were the case Takeru couldn't blame the man. Psynergy Vortexes occasionally popped up in Yamata due to the power given off by Mt. Mikage and the Adepts who lived near it so Takeru was well acquainted with their debilitating effects. He'd never seen a vortex anywhere near this size though.

There was no point in saying here it seemed. Isaac was nowhere in sight and he could already feel the Psynergy Vortex draining his power despite his distance from it. There was supposed to be a town nearby, populated entirely by refugees from the fabled town of Vale and their children, perhaps they would know where Isaac had gone. Takeru turned and walked away silently, ready to continue in his quest to find Isaac.

* * *

><p>Felix awoke slowly, blinking his eyes in the bright light. He couldn't move his arms, why couldn't he move his arms? He glanced up and to the side to find out. Felix was less than thrilled with the answer. His arms were in chains and he was suspended from the ceiling so he also had to deal with the uneasy feeling of his feet not being on solid ground. A feeling that was especially disquieting for a Venus Adept such as himself.<p>

"Oh Felix, you're awake." a voice called. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't place it. The Venus Adept looked over to his left, the direction the voice was coming from and saw a young girl with light blue hair. She was chained to the ceiling by her arms much as he was. Was it Mia? No, the face was similar but not quite the same. Felix took a moment to focus his muddled mind, trying desperately to make sense of the situation he'd found himself in. Her name was Nowell, he remembered, she was Mia's daughter. It was a little hazy but what he could recall she had come with Piers to help fight of the Tuaparang invasion of Laliverio,

That's right, they'd been captured, or rather Nowell had been captured; Felix however had come willingly after a brief scuffle with… Saturos? No, that couldn't be right; Saturos was dead, Isaac and his group killed him thirty years ago atop Venus Lighthouse. Yet his memory insisted that he had dueled with Saturos in Laliverio not too long ago.

"How log was I out Nowell?" Felix asked. His voice sounded scratchy to his ears, unused, that wasn't a good sign.

"About a week I think, ever since the brought you to this cell at least. I can't really say how long we've actually been on this ship though; it's hard to tell time here." Nowell replied. Felix nodded.

"Remind me to thank the Tuaparang for our accommodations and make sure I leave our innkeeper a tip." he said sarcastically as he struggled against the chains. It was no use of course, the metal wouldn't budge.

"What do they want us for anyway Felix?" Nowell asked.

"I'm not sure but I can guarantee you they will regret taking us. The other Warriors of Vale won't stand for this and as you probably know from stories your mother told you, we are not a group the one would wish to anger." he told her.

"That's exactly why we took you. _He_ wants the Warriors of Vale to come after him. They're you and your spawn are the only threats to the High Empyror's plans." Both Felix and Nowell scowled as Saturos, or was it Blados now, entered the room.

"Just what does your High Empyror want and who is he anyway, is it Alex again?" Felix inquired. Saturos laughed at that.

"You think _Alex_ is the High Empyror? I suppose he does seem like the type Felix but you're wrong. You see Alex is Tuaparang's public enemy number one, even before the Warriors of Vale. You see he has something the High Empyror wants." The revived Proxian explained.

"The power of the Golden Sun," Felix breathed, "Your leader wants the power of alchemy."

"In a way you could say that, but he doesn't plan to acquire it by means of the Golden Sun, but rather he plans to take the power by using the Mourning Moon." Nowell gasped at this.

"You mean Tuaparang was responsible for the Mourning Moon thirty years ago? How could you create such a massive Psynergy Vortex, capable of ravaging most of Angara?" the daughter of Mia asked. Saturos laughed again.

"That wasn't the Mourning Moon, oh sure you people call it that but it wasn't the _true_ Mourning Moon. What you refer to as the Mourning Moon was just a failed attempt by the Tuaparang to duplicate the real thing. You haven't seen anything close to the real Mourning Moon." he explained. Nowell gasped at the implications of this.

"Wait a second Saturos, you spent all that time trying to release alchemy and now you're helping to make a giant Psynergy Vortex that will suck all of alchemy's power away from Weyard? That doesn't make any sense." Felix said.

"We have no love for the High Empyror or his plans Felix," a new distinctly feminine voice said from behind Saturos. The Mars Adept moved to the side to reveal a pink haired horned woman wearing far too makeup, "In fact we intend to betray him before the end, this would have already been over if Alex hadn't interfered at the Apollo Lens, but then he too is trying to get close to the High Empyror and he does not know our true identities." Felix frowned; something about that face seemed vguely familiar…

"I'm sorry but do I know you?" he asked the woman.

"I suppose it would be hard for you to recognize me Felix, which all the 'cosmetic changes' the High Empyror made to me. The Tuaparang call me Chalis but you knew me by another name, to put it bluntly I am Karst." Whatever Felix had been expecting it wasn't _that_.

"Karst but you didn't make it to see Mars beacon lit. Your Psynergy didn't get recharged." Felix said in shock.

"Yes, I died in Mars Lighthouse, alongside Agatio but the High Empyror revived me with necromancy as he did with Saturos. He then altered my body to be more aesthetically pleasing to him."

"Wait a second," Felix muttered, "If you two are back does that mean that Agatio and Menardi have been brought back to life as well?

"No, Menardi and Agatio have not been revived, the High Empyror is still trying to revive them but it is difficult to resurrect someone who has nothing tying them to this world. Both Karst and I have a lingering grudge against Isaac and his group. Karst because they killed Menardi and I just want a rematch against them because losing to them was a dishonor in Proxian culture. That's why we agreed to join the Tuaparang at all, to get a chance to fight Isaac's group. Don't worry we don't plan on killing them just defeating them." Saturos assured.

"You're still planning to hurt my mother." Nowell said defiantly.

"Your mother helped kill my sister, you're lucky I don't want to return the favor." Karst hissed.

"That's enough, both of you!" Saturos bellowed. Karst and Nowell hung their heads.

"What do you two want with us anyway?" Felix inquired.

"The High Empyror wants to see you and he knows how dangerous you can be so he's asked us to escort you. Understand, we don't want to go along with his plan but our lives are tied to his necromancy, we can't strike against the High Empyror until the last possible moment. He already distrusts us for the stunt we tried to pull at the Apollo Lens." Karst explained as she unlocked their shackles causing both Felix and Nowell to fall to the ground with a thud.

"_Ow!"_ Nowell moaned. Felix said nothing as he got up, he'd felt worse pain in his many battles with monsters. Once they were back on their feet Saturos and Karst or as they were known Blados and Chalis led them down the winding halls of the ship. Felix got a peek out of one of the windows and did not like what he saw. They were in the sky. Felix was a Venus Adept, by definition he liked having his feet planted firmly on the ground; he didn't even like using the Hover Jade, let alone actual flight. The mechanical nature of the ship did nothing to ease his discomfort, the metal floor made it harder to feel the vibrations people gave off, interfering with a Venus Adept's natural echolocation ability and beyond that the hum of the engine was overpowering any vibrations Felix _would_ have been able to feel.

"This place is Hell for Venus Adepts." he muttered.

"It was the High Empyror's idea. He wanted an edge against you and Isaac." Karst told him.

"Sadistic bastard." was all he could say. For her part Nowell was glancing around excitedly at the various panels and things around the ship. Apparently her thirst for knowledge overrode the natural fear someone would have after being kidnapped and surrounded by a bunch of armed soldiers on an airship. Finally they reached a long dark hall lit by a line of torches on either side. Saturos and Karst led them down the red silk carpet until they were in front of a large throne. When Felix saw who was sitting in it he uttered a sentence that was seemingly becoming a theme for the Tuaparang.

"You're supposed to dead."

* * *

><p>Jaros felt uneasy, it wasn't a feeling he could explain, but he knew something bad was coming. He could feel it on the wind. That was one of the many abilities of Jupiter Adepts, sensing things in the wind, in truth it was an offshoot of their famed precognitive powers. This was definitely a fell wind if Jaros had ever felt one; it had been like this for the last two months, only growing worse as time went on.<p>

"_What's happening out in the world to make this fell wind blow? Everything seems calm… Maybe this is just the calm before the storm."_ Perhaps he was just being paranoid, soldiers tended to be a little jumpy. Jaros hadn't had time to meditate and gain a clearer picture of the future because he'd been busy training Adepts for the army; Tolbi and the surrounding area produced Venus Adepts in abundance due to proximity to the corresponding lighthouse. Jaros had inherited his Jupiter Adept powers from his mother, Sheba of the Warriors of Vale and his combat style came from his father Felix, a Venus Adept of the same group. He had joined Tolbi's military forces via means of Colosso to defend his home, of course it was dreadfully boring, this was the mighty Tolbi Empire after all. Who would dare to challenge them?

Jaros chided himself for his hubris. Complacency with one's power more often than not led to your downfall. Something wascoming, Jaros had no idea what that something could be however. The Jupiter Adept wished he had the time to meditate on such matters but alas, the life of a soldier was a busy one. He could only hope he was wrong about this feeling of foreboding in the wind.

"General Jaros," a Tolbi solder decked out in full armor came rushing up to him, "Lord Iodem requests your presence at once!" the soldier snapped a respectful salute. Jaros sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"What does Emperor Iodem want with me now, I'm on leave from the army at the moment," he said to himself, "Thank you soldier, you have done your duty well." Without another word he began to walk to the palace. As he expected Iodem was waiting for him in the throne room.

"Ah Jaros, there you are, we have much to discuss." The aging monarch greeted.

"What business do you need to discuss with me Lord Iodem," he asked as he knelt before his leader, "I have already begun training the new Adepts as you requested."

"Yes, I am aware of your exploits with the up and coming Adept solders, your work is most impressive. However, I fear we have more… pressing matters to attend to. Jaros, I hereby order you to take the First Legion to Laliverio in order to aid in the town's defense." This most certainly got Jaros' attention. His parents lived in Laliverio and Iodem was asking him to take the First Legion to defend it? Had something happened were his parents safe? Two Warriors of Vale were in Laliverio and Iodem wanted to send six thousand _more _trained Adepts to defend the town?

"Forgive my rudeness milord but may I inquire as to why you wish to send Tolbi's premier defensive force, the only legion in the Empire to be comprised entirely of Adepts to Laliverio on our far border instead of having them defend our shining capitol?" Jaros had given up on kneeling now and was standing in front of his monarch.

"The common people are unaware of what I am about to tell you Jaros, as I do not wish to start a mass panic but Laliverio was attacked. I just received word yesterday. A hostile power from Angara known as the Tuaparang attempted to take the town by force. Your parents with the help of another one of the Warriors of Vale, I believe his name was Piers managed to fend off the attack but I fear the Tuaparang may strike again." Tolbi's Emperor explained.

"What about my parents, are they safe?" The Jupiter Adept asked urgently.

"From what the reports tell me your father was taken by the Tuaparang and your mother has left with Piers, presumably to gather the other Warriors of Vale for a counterstrike against the Tuaparang and to rescue your father. Unfortunately this leaves Laliverio undefended against possible attacks."

"So that's why you want me to take the to Laliverio, if it took three of the Warriors of Vale to fight off the Tuaparang before than it would take a force like Tolbi's First Legion to consistently repel them," Iodem merely nodded, "I will do as you command milord." And with that Jaros took his leave from Iodem's throne room as he reentered Tobi's city square his brown eyes hardened. Jaros' gaze turned south toward Laliverio, his hometown, he would defend it with his last breath. He had to feel the slightest bit pity for the Tuaparang. His mother was downright scary when angry. Still, it seemed the situation was worse than he thought, much worse.

* * *

><p>Mia was in a rather good mood all things considered. True another dangerous quest was about to begin and there was no guarantee any of them would make it out of this alive but she wasn't focusing on that at the moment. The group had finally arrived in Port Rago and had split up while Piers arranged for a private room in the inn where they could compare notes before shoving off. Garet was with the kids so for the moment she had some alone time with Isaac.<p>

Not to mention Port Rago was generally a nice place, especially for Mercury Adepts. Proximity to water always energized her because of her natural affinity, the larger the source the better Mia felt. Since Port Rago bordered the great Eastern Ocean she was in a particularly good mood. Of course she'd feel even better once they got out to sea, quest or no quest..

"This town is quite charming, wouldn't you say Isaac," she asked as she grabbed his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. Isaac just continued to stare off into space; he'd been doing that a lot lately. Mia knew that look, he was thinking about the quest, "Isaac!" The man in question jumped as he snapped back to reality.

"Sorry Mia, I'm just distracted. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do anything like this again. Going up to Mount Aleph on Ivan's Soarwing is one thing but sailing all over the world to put a stop to whatever the Tuaparang have planned is something else entirely. I haven't truly lived in peace since that night Garet and I met Saturos and Menardi thirty-three years ago." Mia gave his hand a squeeze.

"I know you're worried Isaac, I am too but this is our last chance to relax before we set off. You really should take the time to enjoy it. Plus I'll start to feel offended if you keep ignoring me." she replied sweetly. The Venus Adept chuckled slightly.

"Like I could ever ignore _you_," Isaac then started to tickle her in a in the middle of the crowded street, causing uproarious laughter to spill from her mouth. This behavior was definitely not befitting of hardened warriors or even normal adults their age but considering the stresses they were and would soon be under Mia could understand Isaac's desire for a little childish fun.

"Isaac! S-Stop in in we're… in… public!" she ground out between bouts of intense laughter. He did as instructed and put on a look of mock sadness.

"What's wrong Mia? Don't you like it when I tickle you? Ugh, you dirty little cheat!"

"Sorry honey but turnabout is fair play." Mia said with a wink as she returned the favor and tickled him profusely. This back and forth of the pair tickling each other continued for some time. For a moment they forgot about Psynergy Vortexes, the Tuaparang, and they even forgot about the Golden Sun quest of three decades before. For a single wonderful moment they weren't Isaac and Mia of the Warriors of Vale, they were just Isaac and Mia the loving couple. Then the sound of a throat clearing brought them back to reality.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Garet asked with a smirk.

"Yes, yes you are." Isaac tried to glare at their friend but it was rather infective as he hadn't completely regained his composure yet.

"What is it Garet?" the Mercury Adept of the group inquired.

"Piers managed to reserve a room for our planning meeting; he says everything will be ready in a half-hour or so. The kids are already at the inn." he told them.

"Thank you Garet, now please leave." Isaac's voice was stern. Garet shrugged.

"Sheesh, I didn't know a tickle match was so important. Never thought I'd see you two acting like a couple of kids" Without another word exchanged Garet walked away with a smile and a shake of his head. Isaac sighed.

"Back to the quest," he said glumly, "Why does it always have to be us or our kids that clean up these messes Mia?"

"That's the price of being a hero I suppose, people always expecting you to help them, but if we don't who will?" she answered. Isaac sighed once more.

"I suppose you're right, I just wish there was some other way to protect the world or that someone else could do the job. However it seems the Wise One has other plans."

"Don't worry about the why Isaac, just do the right thing; that's what heroes do after all. Don't worry; I'll be right by your side the entire time just like I was on our last quest." Mia took Isaac's hand again.

"I know you will and I wouldn't have it any other way." He gave her a smile and a quick kiss before the pair walked toward the inn for Piers' strategy meeting.

"Matthew seemed quieter than usual. Is he alright?" the Mercury Adept asked.

"Karis told him about Ivan and Jenna last night. I don't think he took it very well." he answered.

"Oh, that explains a lot." She muttered.

"Matthew will be fine, he just needs time."

"Yes but I still feel bad for him." Mia muttered.

"So do I but there's nothing we can do for him right now." The Venus Adept replied as he opened the door to Port Rago's inn.

* * *

><p>Sheba was miffed; Isaac and Mia had just walked into the inn, after having kept the rest of them waiting for a good ten minutes. Didn't they realize Felix's life was at stake, not to mention Mia's daughter Nowell. Wait a second; they were hand in hand, what happened there? She'd thought Isaac and Jenna were an item. Now Isaac comes in here holding Mia's hand like <em>they<em> were a couple; Felix wouldn't like this when he found out, not at all. This on top of the news of Brigg's death was making this a very difficult day.

"Isaac may I ask why you're holding Mia's hand and not Jenna's? In fact, where is Jenna?" Sheba asked as the pair sat down.

"My mother moved on to Ivan long ago. I suppose that makes her Lady of Kalay now. Karis here is living proof." Matthew said bitterly as he spoke for the first time today. Sheba noticed Karis wilt some at this pronouncement. Odd Isaac and Jenna had been so in love when she and Felix left. She had to wonder what had happened to them.

"I believe we have more pressing matters to discuss, namely the Tuaparang," Piers said, "What do we know of them and their plans?"

"They seem to be going after the Elemental Lighthouses, what for we can't be sure but whatever it is it isn't good. Especially considering they're responsible for the Grave Eclipse." Isaac said.

"From what the kids tell us they're working with Alex. This in my mind solidifies their interest in alchemy in my opinion." Mia added. Sheba shuddered; if they were working with Alex then they really _were_ dangerous.

"If we want to protect the Lighthouses then protecting the towns around them should be our top priority. We know that Imil needs to be guarded; Prox should be safe for now but what about Contigo and Laliverio?" Isaac asked.

"Laliverio should be safe for now; Tolbi has a rather large army, led by Jaros, he Felix's and my son. Lord Iodem will have sent a force to guard it from further attacks. As for Contigo, I haven't been there in years so I couldn't tell you what its defenses are like." Sheba told them.

"I think it's safe to add the area around Mount Aleph to our list of the Tuaparang's targets. If they're after the lighthouses then it will most definitely affect Mount Aleph." Piers said.

"So we mainly have to worry about Imil and Contigo." Tyrell surmised.

"I still like Karis' idea of asking the Beastmen for help in defending Imil." Mia piped in.

"Mia, we talked about this, I already explained why it wouldn't work." Isaac replied.

"Honestly I don't see what choice we have. It's not like we can defend Imil, check up on Contigo and Prox, and save Felix and Nowell." Garet said in rebuttal.

"He's got a point Isaac." Sheba agreed.

"We kids have an in with the Queen of Morgall too, especially Matthew tanks to the Grave Eclipse incident." Tyrell declared with a wink. Matthew blushed slightly. Sheba smiled at him; the kids had already brought her up to speed on that particular incident. She had been rather impressed with the skill the kids had shown during their quest.

"Sveta has no love for the Tuaparang. I'm sure could convince her to help out." he muttered.

"Yeah, especially with _your _help Matthew." Tyrell teased.

"What else do we know of the Tuaparang?" the Lemurian of the group asked.

"Well, a book in Sana mentioned that Tuaparang had once been a nation in its own right but it disappeared. It then later reappeared as the flying airship that now houses the nation after the Golden Sun event." Karis said.

"It sounds like the Tuaparang are part of the ancient history of Weyard and there's only one place we can learn about that. It looks like we'll be making a stop at Lemuria, or at least I will." Piers declared.

"But Piers you were banished from Lemuria thirty years ago for helping us restore alchemy." Sheba protested.

"I know, that's a risk I'll have to take to save the world." he replied.

"So what is our course exactly?" Isaac asked.

"Well, I'll sail the ship to Lemuria where I will disembark and try to dig up some new information on the Tuaparang. I can get a new ship there. The rest of you will set sail for Atteka and check up on Contigo, making a stop in Belinsk to ask Queen Sveta for her help in defending Imil from the Tuaparang." the Lemurian captain explained. Everyone nodded understanding the plan.

* * *

><p>As the meeting cleared out so everyone could rest up for the night before setting out in the morning Piers glanced toward Mia. He needed to talk to her, he needed to apologize.<p>

"Mia, I'm sorry about Nowell, I tried to save her but there were too many of them…" he hung his head in shame.

"It's alright Piers I understand, I'm worried about her but I know she's with Felix. He'll make sure she's safe." she assured him.

"I know, but I promise we'll find a way to rescue her." Piers' tone was solemn.

"That goes without saying." Mia replied as she left the room, leaving Piers with his thoughts about Nowell. He had initially found her crush on him silly. That it was just a girl's infatuation with an older man. He hadn't encouraged it; in fact he'd hoped it would pass. However, now that she was gone he was realizing just how much he missed the girl. More than he had any right to considering the short time they had known one another. Could it be that he had romantic feelings for Nowell? Piers didn't know the answer to that question but he promised himself he would figure it out after they rescued her and Felix.

* * *

><p>Alex stood in the middle of the Sol Sanctum. The shine had seen better days sue to frequent volcanic eruptions but he wasn't here for the view. He was here to see someone, the only being to have ever defeated him.<p>

"Come out Wise One, I know you are here." he called. As expected the Philosopher's Stone appeared before him. The Wise One floated serenely, as if a volcano wasn't erupting around him.

"Ah, Alex, I've been expecting you. Is there something you wish to ask of me?" it asked.

"Why did you stop me from attaining the full power of the Golden Sun? You know who the Tuaparang truly are, you knew they were coming, you know the threat they pose to Weyard, and you know only the full power of the Golden Sun can stop then if their plan succeeds. So I must ask again, why did you split the power between Isaac and me?" Alex demanded.

"This is true I know all the things you say I do Alex but I also know far more than that. I knew what you would do if you attained the full power of alchemy and I deemed you unworthy of the power and so I split it between you and Isaac in order to thwart your ambitions." The Wise One explained.

"Are you saying that Isaac is more worthy to wield the full power of alchemy than I am?" the Mercury Adept asked.

"Perhaps, that has yet to be determined Alex. As you well know the time will soon come to unite the pieces of the Golden Sun in order to defeat the Tuaparang. Whether you or Isaac will wield the power, I do not know but I do foresee the two of you battling in this very sanctum in order to prove your worthiness to held the power." The alchemic construct prophesied.

"Mark my words Wise One, I will defeat Isaac and claim the full power of the Golden Sun. Then _I _will defeat the Tuaparang and claim Weyard for my own!" Alex declared.

"We shall see, Alex of the Mercury Clan," The Wise One replied gently, "but until the time of proving is upon us, leave this sacred ground, it is not your place to tread here."

"Very well." Alex replied with a nod before warping away.

* * *

><p>And so the second chapter of Golden Sun: The Zenith conflict comes to a close. Who are Tuaparang and why do they want to create the true Mourning Moon? What is the true identity of the High Empyror and why does he have Felix so spooked? What else do Alex and the Wise One know that everyone else does not? The answers to all this and more will be revealed if you read the rest of this story as it comes out.<p>

Oh and while I have you here I need ideas for new Djinn for this story. Specifically I need twenty new djinn, five for each element so that each of the main characters, in other words the Broken Seal – Lost Age and Dark Dawn crews, can have the nine djinn needed to max out their classes and let them fight at full power. So if you guys could help me out with that I would greatly appreciate it. I look forward to your reviews.


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